Attachment for lathe head-stocks.



c. E. DE LONG. ATTACHMENT FOR LATHE HEAD STOCKS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 24, 1911.

1,014,05 1 Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

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CHARLES E. DE LONG, OF DALLAS, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO K. H. HAWLEY COMPANY, 1 01? DALLAS, TEXAS.

ATTACHMENT FOR LATHE HEAD-STOCKS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. DE Lone, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Lathe Head-Stocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful. attachment for a lathe headstock.

In making and repairing watches, instruments and jewelry, it is frequently necessary to turn very small articles, such as jewel settings, and in order that the same may be held firmly in the chuck of a lathe, a means of some sort must be inserted into the chuck that will furnish a rigid backing or set, so that the work can not wabble or be displaced along the chuck axis. In the present practice a number of devices are employed to accomplish this result, their diameter varying according to the diameter of the part which is being turned.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device that may be readily adjusted to furnish a backing or set for work of any diameter that may be gripped by the chucks of a jewelers or watch-makers lathe.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described that will be strong, durable, simple and efficient and inexpensive in construction, and one that may be used as an attachment for any ordinary jewelers or watch-makers lathe.

With these and various other objects in view, my invention has relation to certain novel features of the construction and operation, an example of which is described'in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the headstock of a watch-makers lathe with the herein described attachment inserted in the aperture of the hollow spindle in position for use, the section being taken through the axis of said spindle. Fig. 2 is a view in partial section, showing the attachment removed from the lathe, a portion of the stem of the attachment being broken away. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lathe chuck, the construction of which forms no part of the present invention, but must be understood in order to comprehend the operation of the herein described device.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 24,1911.

Patented J an. 9, 1912.

Serial No. 622,994.

. Referring now more particularly to the drawing, wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in all the figures, the numeral 1 denotes a casting which forms the frame of the headstock, said casting being provided with front and back vertical standards 2 and 3'respectively, in each of which a bushing 1 is rigidly held, the axes of the two bushings being coincident. The interior walls of the two bushings are tapered inwardly, the front bushing tapering toward the 'rear standard, and the rear bushing tapering toward the front standard. Acollar 5 is rotatably mounted in the rear standard 3, the outer surface of said collar being tapered to fit the bushing 4. The collar 5 forms a loose bearing for a hollow spindle 6, the forward extremity of said spindle being rotatably mounted in the standard 2, said extremity being tapered to an increased diameter as indicated at 7 to fit the bushing 41 in the last named standard. The collar 5 has a small pin 8 projecting from its interior surface into a groove 9 in the spindle 6 parallel with the axis thereof. This arrangement establishes a communica- -tion of rotary motion between the collar 5 and spindle 6, but permits a relative motion between said parts longitudinal with the axis of the spindle 6. The spindle 6 projects a slight distance beyond the collar 5, and has its extremity threaded to receive a lock-nut 10, by means of which the collar is held in its proper relation to the bushing 4. \Vithin the spindle 6 is positioned a tube 11, having its rear extremity projecting from said spindle, and increased in diameter, forming a shoulder 12 which is adapted to abut against the extremity of the spindle. The forward extremity of the tube 11 has a threaded aperture 13 which is adapted to receive a stud 14:, carried by the lathe chuck 15. The chuck 15 occupies the forward portion 7 of the spindle 6, and has its forward port-ion gradually increased in diameter, the interior of the part 7 being tapered correspondingly.

The interior aperture of the tube 11 is denoted by the numeral 16, said aperture being extended into the chuck, and terminating adjacent to the forward extremity of the chuck. An aperture 17 of small diameter communicates with the aperture 16 through the front of the chuck. The chuck is provided with three radial slots 18 communicating with the apertures 16 and 17 and extending from the front of the chuck to the rear port-ion thereof. These slots, which are one hundred and twenty degrees apart, produce three jaws adapted to grip any article in the aperture 17. The chuck is provided with a small groove 19 in its rear portion parallel with the axis of the chuck, which groove receives a pin 20, projecting rigidly from the interior wall of the spindle 6. 'A communication of rotation is thus established between the spindle 6 and chuck 15 without preventing relative longitudinal motion between said parts. A wheel 21 is mounted fast upon the rear extremity of the tube 11, by which wheel rotation may be manually imparted to said tube. A pulley wheel 22, comprising a plurality of stepped sheaves, is mounted fast upon the spindle 6 between the standards 2 and 3, a set-screw 23 being employed to establish a rigid connection between the pulley wheel and the spindle.

The above described construction? which comprises the headstock of a watch-makers lathe, constitutes no part of the present invention, but an understanding of the same is necessary in order that'the use of the invention may be made clear.

A description of the invention itself will now be given. A rod or stem 24 is adapted to be inserted into the aperture 16 from the rear end of the headstock. The forward extremity of said stem has a small aperture 25 extending centrally thereinto, and receiving three diverging wires 26, which are sprung apart, their extremities being equidistant.-

A short sleeve 27 is slidably mounted upon the front extremity of the stem 24, said sleeve having a flange 28 at its front end, provided with a central aperture just large enough to permit the wires 26 to pass through, and having a small flange 29 at its rear end, which is fitted to the stem 24. The forward extremity of the stem 24 is slightly upset, forming a small collar as indicated at 30. This collar limits the forward motion of the sleeve 27 by contact with the flange 29, and rearward motion of said sleeve is limited by the fiange 28 contacting with the forward extremity of the stem. As the sleeve slides forward, the diverging Wires 26 are drawn together, the extremities of said wires being in contact when the sleeve is in its forward position of adjustment. The rear portion of the stem 24 is threaded and 'carries a small nut 31, from which pins 32 project at opposite sides. These pins are received by elongated slots 33, oppositely provided in a sleeve 34 longitudinal with said sleeve. A tapered collar 35 and a milled head 36 are provided integral with the sleeve 34, the parts 34, 35, and 36 being all slightly spaced from the thread ed stem. A milled head 37 is rigidly fixed upon the rear extremity of the stem 24, so that rotation may be manually applied to the stem through said head.

WVhen it is desirous to adjust the jaws of the chuck in order to adapt them to different sizes of work, a rotation is communicated to the tube 11 through the small wheel 21, the chuck being held from rotation at the same time. This will cause the stud 14 of the chuck to either be gradually drawn into the aperture 13, or gradually displaced therefrom according to the direction of the rotation. In the former case, the jaws of the chuck will be gradually drawn together as they pass into the tapering aperture of the member 7 In the latter case the jaws of the chuck will gradually escape from the aperture of the member 7, thus permitting them to expand. Before the herein described lathe attachment is inserted into the headstock interior, the sleeve 27 is slipped forward to its fullest extent, thus drawing the wires 26 together so that their extremities will pass through the aperture 17. As the device is pushed forward, the sleeve 27 will contact wit-h the forward wall of the aperture 16, thus preventing its further motion, and the sleeve will then assume its rearmost position of adjustment relative to the stem 24, permitting the wires 26 to expand fully in front of the chuck. The integral parts 34, 35, and 36 will now be adjusted so that the tapering collar 35 will frictionally engage a tapering socket in the rear extremity of the tube 11. Rotation will now be imparted through the spindle 24 by means of its milled head 37. Since the nut 31 cannot rotate with said stem, a longitudinal displacement of the stem will take place, its direction depending upon the direction of the rotation which has been imparted. In order to adjust the divergence of the wires 26, so that the extremities of these wires may furnish'a backing for the work in the chuck, the rotation imparted to the stem must be such that the wires 26 will gradually be displaced rearwardly. As these wires enter the aperture 17 of the chuck they will be drawn together, and their natural resiliency will cause them to bear slightly against the walls of the aperture 17 spreading equidistantly so that they will furnish a firm backing for the work in the chuck.

It is apparent from the above description that the wires 26 may be arranged in the aperture 17, so as to accord themselves to any size to which said aperture may be adjusted. The device will eliminate the necessity of having a plurality of attachments to furnish a backing or set for the work.

It is apparent that various changes might be made in the details of the above described construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the right is,

therefore, reserved to make such changes and alterations in the invention as are included within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. I11 a device of the character described, the combination with an elongated stem, of a plurality of divergent resilient wires, fixed in one extremity of the stem, having their free ends equidistant in a plane transverse with the stem, a sleeve slidable upon the extremity of the stem, having an inwardly projecting annular flange at one end contacting with the wires, and means limiting the sliding motion of the sleeve toward the wire extremities.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with an elongated stem, having one of its extremities threaded, of a plurality of divergent resilient wires, fixed in. the other extremity of the stem, an apertured means through which said wires pass, adapted to adjust the divergence of the wires by sliding displacement thereupon, a nut carried by the threaded extremity of the stem, and a sleeve loose upon the stem, engaging said nut, having a portion of its nut carried by the threaded outer surface tapered to frictionally engage a tapering inlet to the aperture of a hollow lathe spindle.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with an elongated stem, having one of its extremities threaded, of a plurality of divergent resilient wires, fixed in the other extremity of the stem, an apertured means through which said wires pass adapted to adjust the divergence of the wires by sliding displacement thereupon, a extremity of the stem, having opposite projecting pins, and a sleeve loose upon the stem, having opposite longitudinal slots, which engage said pins, a portion of the outer surface of the sleeve being tapered to frictionally engage the walls of a tapering inlet to the aperture of a hollow lathe spindle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. DE LONG.

Witnesses:

L. S. MURRAY, LEE MORRIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

